“I don’t think he had a lot to do with it, no,” Isaac quipped, and Luke obliged him with a reluctant chuckle. “I apologize for my part in what happened last night. When I learned that Sloan had sent two teams here, all I wanted to do was stop them. They’ve probably found Hawley by now,but even if they haven’t, I’m not ever going back. I’m done with them.”
“Whoa, whoa, wait,” Alex said. “Found Hawley? What do you mean?”
“Oh, I killed him,” Isaac said brightly. “He tried to stop me from leaving, so I killed him.”
“You… You killed Father Hawley,” Nathan said dumbly.
“Trust me, he deserved it,” Shadrach said coldly. “He deserved a hell of a lot worse. He’s lucky I never got a chance to get my hands on him.”
A little shiver went down Isaac’s spine at the dark promise in his voice. No one had ever cared so much for him before. It was thrilling to know Shadrach did.
“They’ll know you did it,” Talon said. “They’ll know you were the one who killed him.”
“I know,” Isaac said.
“That could bring more heat down on us,” Talon said.
“With all due respect, I’m not sure that’s possible,” Isaac replied. “Shadrach says you’ve got halflings and paladins both coming after you, right? And the reason why Sloan was finally able to send people here is because he arrested the council. There’s no one standing in his way anymore.”
Nathan gaped. “What?How did he get away with that?”
“He controls the paladins,” Isaac said. “They follow his orders. He ordered them to do it, so they did. Anyone who voted against coming after you was arrested. I don’t know what he plans to do with them, but it’s safe to say he’s taken control of the whole guild now. Anyone who stands in his way will be treated the same.”
“Jesus,” Luke breathed. “What do we do?”
“Batten down the hatches,” Talon said. “We can’t do anything about the inner workings of the guild, you guys. IfSloan is taking over there, so be it. That’s not your circus anymore. We just have to be ready when they come for us again.”
“I’ve been in contact with a mage,” Wolf said. “He’s putting together some ingredients for a spell that Ira should be able to perform. We can protect the Rink and our homes that way. It’ll keep out anyone who isn’t invited in, even humans.”
“That would be fantastic,” Alex said. “No more nights like the last one, please. My heart can’t take it.” He leaned his head on Talon’s shoulder, and the demon nuzzled his hair.
Nathan offered Isaac a tentative smile. “We’re lucky Isaac showed up when he did.”
Talon heaved a sigh. “Yes, yes, I suppose so. Of course, he’s the reason why they found us in the first place.”
“But we won’t hold a grudge about that,” Alex said pointedly. “Will we, Talon?”
Talon shot Alex an exasperated look, tempered with mirth. “Some of us won’t.”
Alex elbowed him lightly, and Talon smiled.
“What’d you do with the stones?” Isaac asked.
Ira gestured to the training area. “We put them in a bag over there. We weren’t sure what to do with them.”
“They’re very powerful Enochian sigils. Hawley told me they’re normally locked away in a vault. The fact that they brought them out to deal with you guys tells me exactly how dangerous they think you are. Put them somewhere safe and don’t let the paladins get their hands on them again. Like maybe the bottom of the Atlantic.”
“Is it safe to assume that’s not the only trick up their sleeves?” Wolf asked.
“Absolutely,” Ira said, a sobering voice to them all. “But we’ll weather it. Don’t worry.”
“What now?” Luke asked. “Are you… staying?”
Shadrach’s hand slid up, curling around the back of his neck possessively. Isaac fought a smile at the touch, ducking his head to hide the twitching of his mouth.
“I’d like to,” he said. “If you’ll let me.”
Shadrach growled again, and Isaac tipped his head back to look up at him.
